Skeptics’ Circle: Valentine edition!

We have to lead off with Gateway Skepticism‘s skeptical examination of “scientific dating.” Personally, I think it might take a while to verify the claim that having divergent histocompatibility complexes makes for better sex and more orgasms. I’m sure quite a few skeptics are willing to sign up for the clinical trial to put that to the test, though.

“The roots of St. Valentine’s Day lie in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15. For 800 years the Romans had dedicated this day to the god Lupercus. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year. “

Hey, looks like they already have our clinical protocol for the orgasm study worked out!
Ah, but wait–some people are skeptical (!) that’s really how the story goes.

And what is love, really? Is it biochemistry? A strange hormonal disorder? Well, no one really addressed the topic of the biology of love specifically this Circle, but we did have a great deal of writing about medicine and medical issues:

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”

I’m afraid I ran into a bit of a technical snag, so the Circle is up a bit later than usual. Just have it with brunch, rather than breakfast, ok? By now your brain is fully caffeinated, and it will make more sense anyway.

Check out our Wish List!

The insect educational program I run has a wish list for supplies we use regularly to care for our animals:
Bug Barn Amazon Wish List
Please consider buying the Bug Barn some cages or crayons! That lets me use the savings to hire more undergraduates for hands on training.